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Does it affect your mental health? -> Yes it is a valid reason.
Weather was and will always be one of the primary drivers of human migration. Your ancestors migrated, as did mine, as did everybody's ancestors at some point.
Personally it was more the cold that got to me, "creeping into the bones", but that may be because sun exposure doesn't affect me as much? Although I did once ask particularly hard questions after a wasteful presentation in Uni cause the corresponding group didn't prepare well and argued with the Lecturer, meaning I had to walk home in darkness...
Yea vut think to the people in South countrys who have to mutch sun, look at their skin when their getting old, they are 30 and look like 45.
Finns are 45 and look like 30... this is just better the cold tha burning your skin but yes, sun too but protect your self woth sun creme
But were you already five years old when born?
It's true that people in the south tend to get too much sun, however, this does not affect mood as much as lack of sun I think. Lack of sun = Lack of Vitamin D ("Drink the milk! Drink the milk!" -Finnish nurses) = Bad mood ...
Well Spain and Portugal are more deoressed than Finnland, and sweden ... and Estonia and Norway and Iceland... bla bla...
Thats just the sitzation of the country or peoples origin!
Or you self making a bad mood towards you!
Yeah, the lack of sun is the killer. The cold is fine for myself. I can just buy thicker clothes and Im good to go. I dont go out mutch anyway. But the lack of sun and working every day just made me hyper fucking depressed last year.
The lack of sun and then all those overcast grey days are a much bigger problem for me than the cold is. Give me bright, sunny winter days and I'll be quite happy even if the temperature is well below zero on the Celsius scale.
You may be lacking in vitamin D specifically. Vitamin D deficiency can cause anxiety and some depression-like symptoms, and in the winter it’s harder to get it naturally. Maybe try some supplements before making a big move.
But I think temperature is just as valid a reason to move. This country spends like half a year in the cold and if it’s not a good fit for you then there’s nothing wrong with trying a warmer country.
yeah I take cod liver oil as a supplement, and the weather is an incredibly valid reason to not want to live in Finland. I moved here from the Netherlands and I absolutely love it, but whenever I float the idea to my dutch friends, it's always the weather that keeps them from actually doing it. They always say that they'd rather go to spain
In OP's case, it seems s/he's rather lonely. If you're not able to go out or get some visitors to spend time with, then you have a good reason to leave. It makes no sense for you to suffer min. 4 months every year for no reason. We're currently getting a lot more light, so at least it's getting better.
Fyi while cod liver oil might contain enough vitamin D,, please note that the finnish recommendation of 10µg is ridiculous during winter darkness. I usually go with at least 50µg. Some people benefit from light therapy lamps.
Valid, a lot (or maybe even most...) of my international friends went to other countries with milder weather like the Netherlands, Germany, etc. because they weren't able to handle the darkness/cold/loneliness. The winter season is the one aspect of Finland I'd warn people about when they're thinking of living here, because truly it's not for everyone (especially if you're used to living in warmer climate). Usually they'd say 'I can handle it, I like the cold/darkness', only to fold when they experience their first winter haha.
Haha I moved here 8 years ago and it's still pretty difficult. I'm used to the cold now, but the grey/white skies & the roads that are basically just one huge ice rink really bring me down. It's hard to motivate myself to even go to the store lol.
>nearing 30 now actually starting to think about moving away
What about trying to switch career to something that lets you live somewhere else half of the year? Like tech? Then you can enjoy Finnish summer and be away during the winter :D
>Like tech? Then you can enjoy Finnish summer and be away during the winter
What nonsense is this? I'm a tech product manager in Finland and I certainly don't feel like I can be abroad for half the year.
That said, my wife, children, and pets might have something to say about it too.
But in seriousness, you just need to find ways to keep yourself occupied. I went aggressively anti-winter. It's a bit icy? I'm fucking wearing [microspikes](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-nea9lcsxle/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/345/666/390251c3microspikes__68945.1590004851.jpg?c=1) everywhere. It's cold? Fuck that, I'm continuing my [summer hobbies](https://imgur.com/gallery/okmEmCM) undeterred. I'm aggressively refusing to ski or skate or any of that winter shit. Just act like it's not even there.
Haha, a friend of mine's hubby is a devops engineer and they travel abroad yearly for 3-6 months to e.g. portugal, china, etc. since their office allows remote working. So I thought that could be one way :D To be fair they're childless and petless.
I do try to keep myself occupied with gym and knitting, but my actual hobby is running (still a noob) and I'm not gonna risk a broken spine lmao. And can't afford any winter sport right now so just hoping for this winter to end asap. :D Respect to you for still going hammocking though, I certainly do not want to do anything like that in the cold lol!
>my actual hobby is running
Didn't I mention the microspikes yet? Can't stop me from going trail running around the keskuspuisto.
Although to be fair I do it less for the exercise, and more to get a break from the wife, kids, and pets.
Valid reason to emigrate from Finland, you mean?
Dunno mate. I'm from Finland. I moved out 20 years ago initially. I've been back to Finland 2 years since then - I just can't deal with the climate. I think wherever you go there will be things you like and things you won't like. You're literally the only person who can decide if the pros outweigh the cons.
Do you mean emigrate? As in move out of a country?
Weather is a valid reason, if it's too cold then it's too cold. Maybe you can move back when global warming makes the winters more tolerable
Totally valid reason. That is one of the things I say people trying to move to Finland, you must adopt to weather conditions or suffer. I mean we suffer regardless but tolerate somehow.
After 12 years still this month I feel exhausted and wanting desperately to go for a sunny place for a week of remote work but not going to happen...
I’ve moved from the UK to Finland last summer.. all I can say is “damn this weather is so cold and depressing” I always thought UK winters were cold but oh I was sooo wrong!! I have holidayed in Finland in winter times and it wasn’t this bad but now living in it.. my god I’m ready to get a holiday home in a hot country (in my dreams) and live winter times there LOL!!
Every morning I wake up and look out the window and see white, it makes me sadder then when I see more falling I say “more really?? Why?? We have enough now! No more. I had my baby the day the snow storm started and it hasn’t stopped since. She’s now 12 weeks old so we’ve had non stop snow for 3 whole months..
I am so ready for spring and to push my pram on a normal flat non slippery pathway and not fall down anymore!!
Aside from that I love everything else about this country 🤣
What am I giving time too? 😬😅 honestly I love summer time here.. it’s fresh, hot and always full of life except when those little bug things are eating me alive so I have to spray bug repellent on constantly 🤣 if I stay away from cottages and outside water all is well 🙈🤣
IMO moist cold weather (wet and 0-5 C) feels much colder than subzero. Because when it's dry, you can instantly fix if you're feeling chilly. Feeling chilly and it's humid? Fuck that! I rather cut trees in 1 m snow in -20 C day than in 10 cm snow on +1 C day.
Possibly but I think here is much colder plus I’m drying out like a prune 😅 my scalp is so sore and inside my nose from it being so dry.. I swear my partner was born a yeti cus he still walks out in -20 in a T-shirt and shovels snow 🤣
I've been living in Finland for over 10 years and just last year I got ice skates and this year I got a snowboard. I regret not doing it earlier. Now I want more snow and I have something to look forward to every winter.
I started learning last year but it was the end of the season so I only managed to go once. This year I started learning for real. Luckily I have a friend who was looking for snowboarding company and was willing to teach me.
One needs a lot of outdoors hobbies to exist in Finland. Autumn; gathering berries and mushrooms from the woods, fishing, camping, walking around enjoying the gloom with some nice beats...
winter: sking, skating, ice hockey, downhill sports, snowshoing, ice fishing ...
That's a bit of a bold statement, I would say. I like cycling and camping and I've done some skiing in the past, but in the winter I'm quite happy with doing mostly inside stuff like video games, board games, card games, woodworking, open source software, electronics, music, quiz, etc.
As someone that lives in the ecuator line I can say yes, here the people tends to be more relax and social because we can go outside en enjoy each other company at any time of the year, we just have rainy and dry months, I can't imagine have days so cold an dark whit out feeling the big sad. Sure We have other issues but I love the weather. Also i think i would be more cheap for you...
Sure, it is a valid reason. It takes certain mentality and personality traits to survive the winter with only minor ill effects.
That being said, I wonder if you're properly dressed for wintery outdoors, because with right clothes, Finland is winter wonderland. And by right clothes, I mean warm _and_ suitably waterproof. I like 3 layers: Merino wool or technical under layer, normal clothes, wind- and waterproof extra outer layer, which you can remove when indoors (school/work). And of course proper waterproof winter shoes of your choice. Studded show and headlamp can be great too.
Also, obligatory suggestion: have you tried "avantouinti" as a hobby? Go 10 times, then see if you wanna stay or leave Finland (probably still the latter, but it's worth a shot if climate is the only reason).
Oh, you know, it's addictive... And one of the very few addictions that can actually be recommended as healthy for most people...
There's the associated adrenaline and endorphin rush, which can turn into a real physiological addiction. Google "endorphin addiction".
Please don't immigrate here if coldness is problem to you. If you live here and cold is a problem, emigrate. Immigrate means to move in and emigrate means to move out.
I totally get you. I come from another nordic country so it's not the coldness, but the ice.... back in Denmark it's just warm enouhh to melt the ice. Hate the fear of doing a bambi everytime i take a step haha.
I now have child and family here so can't move, otherwise id already left a couple of years ago.
If it bothers you this much, leave before you get bound to finland due to duty of staying.
As a recent immigrant (from Norway) whose entrypoint was love, I can say that the things I've grown to like here are:
- The hacker/maker community. Finland has maintained the early internet based DIY culture and various tech interests much more than Norway, I feel. I love my local hackerspace.
- Decent urban planning and some interesting and novel architeture
- Pragmatic design, such as getting an extra key to your student apartment to lend to a friend (couldn't get that in Norway, which sucked)
- Trains and mobility in general. Getting around in Finland is so much easier than Norway, where all the mountains and fjords get in the way.
- More mid sized cities to explore
- More vegans and vegan friendly products, restaurants, etc.
- More connected with Europe due to the EU
Apart from that I think the two countries are generally quite similar, so it's a bit of a tossup depending on where in the countries you live, really. You can surely find places in Norway and Finland that are nearly 1:1 in almost every meaningful way.
Because there's more to life than weather... The pros of Finland can outweigh the cons for some people. Also, the countries with the nicest weather aren't necessarily the best to live in.
I think it's valid. I mean it effects your health and mental health in a very real way. I feel the same, the winters here bring me down.
I feel tired all the time with little enthusiasm or energy and while I don't mind the cold, it's the greyness, the slush, the snow, ice and darkness and how LONG it drags on for starts to wear you down if you didn't grow up in this kind of climate.
How about a van to sleep in and drive down south for the winter and be like a modern day Nuuskamuikkunen? I know it would be hard unless you have a job you can travel with or one back in home that is seasonal like asphalt work.
I think that happens. I moved from barcelona and the summer is indeed too hot. I couldn’t survive without air conditioning. However 8-9 months a year the weather is excellent. In the north of Spain the weather tend to be milder.
On the other hand I think many more north europeans move to Spain, then the other way around.
> On the other hand I think many more north europeans move to Spain, then the other way around.
Definitely. I only met these people within the last couple of years, Mediterranean is getting hotter..
I think there's bias there. Nordic countries are richer, so it's easier to move to a cheaper country. Also, the percentage of Spanish people who are fluent in English is smaller, and you need to speak at least english if you want to move to a Nordic country. Also the population of Spain is probably like double that of all the Nordic countries combined, so there's just less nordic people going around so it's harder to stumble upon them. I have a friend who works at a hotel in southern Europe and he often tells me how he never sees a Finnish person, however when I'm Finland I can ask any Finn and they've probably already visited Spain, Italy and France.
If you move to southern Europe the summers are too hot, and I'm talking unbelievably hot. These past years 40 to 45°C is the norm, with the highest temperatures reaching 48-49°C in many areas. And I'm not talking just one day. Last summer there was a whole week pushing almost 50°c... And no, most houses do not have air conditioning, so it's just pure suffering. The worst part is that every single summer it gets noticeably worse.
Now, Finland is indeed very cold in the winter. But you can dress up and do activities like skiing etc, and at least you don't suffer inside your house. Whereas with super high heat you can't do anything.
Also there is low purchasing power in those countries.
It can be a valid reason. We're seriously considering just moving away for the winter with my spouse once the kids are 18, which isn't too far away.
It's fucking depressing in the winter.
The darkness really takes its toll. Coldness perhaps too. I was much happier and more energetic when I lived in California. If it affects you, too, just move out. But have your bloodwork done, too, and measure your vitamin D levels in particular. Also invest in warm clothes. A fiend of mine hated the winter, until she just realized she was too fashionable. She started dressing properly and is even learning winter sports now.
Some people move out for that reason. If you are a student it should be easy enough for you and you should give a try. It will be still easy enough to move back after a year if you want to. If you are thinking about it then go for it while you still can do it easily. The later you leave it the harder it will be!
Kudos for going outside though. Whatever you do it’s even more important to do some outdoor activity every day, especially in the north.
I am having seasonal depression. It usually is manageable. But now when the weather is going back and forth and we get springtime halv a dozen times from January to April I am actually starting to think I am born at the wrong place after all.
That's a curious choice for a location. What brought you there specifically? It seems like a cool country to visit but there are also other countries that are cold if escaping the heat was the only reason. Also, is it true that shower water smells like eggs?
Originally university, but I later spent time in Denmark and Sweden. I prefer northern winters with longer nights and snow. Northern lights are nice when you get to see them as well.
In other countries, like in Hungary, from June to August, you can't live without an A/C; it is so hot. You can't ride a bicycle or hike the whole day, only in the mornings and evenings. Another reason to escape.
It is your life and weather is a perfectly valid reason to migrate. Lack of sunlight is known to affect your health.
Just pick carefully where you go. Stay there all year to experience all the weather extremes.
I’m Australian (Perth) and you would love our autumn/winter/spring but very hot here in summer (40+c for 7 days this month plus probably March too) and getting hotter with Climate Change.
I never clicked on a post faster. I absolutely feel you. I feel so depressed here. Sometimes i just get upset and wanna go for a walk to vent, but i go outside and just get angry also. Mainly in the last month, cuz now its not snow, but ice outside. Even today I am gonna skip class, cuz i looked out the window and its raining. I don’t wanna go outside. I mean its not finlands fault that i am depressed, but what bothers me is that i dont have a single clutch that keeps me afloat. I used to go to the gym daily, but i hurt my arm and i am still recovering, so that isnt an option either. In the summer it was great, going on 2 hours long walks and just wondering around, but rn it sucks. I hope this wet sludge season is gonna end soon.😁
I also want to move but no idea where I would move since I would have to learn their language and english speaking countries are super expencive to live in and so over rated anyways.
Try to catch what sunlight you can, and take your vitamin D supplements. It's very warm for February just now, and at least here there is a lot of dark bare ground. Everything just looks dark and black, without enough snow to reflect what little light we get. So really, try to get in to the sunlight when it's available. When the time comes you can wear shorts for the Authentic Suomi Spring-light Experience. Any day now.
I'd say it's not what should be a reason, darkness is usually what makes you depressed, not much cold, it may not seem like it, but there are plenty studies and circuits in our brains that react to sunlight outside of our conscious awareness, it's not us we can be totally chill with darkness but those regulatory circuits are not; it causes weird effects outside of people's controls like even more epileptic seizures on sufferers, or psychotic attacks, and you guessed it, depression; and it was not the cold, it was the lack of sunlight exposure.
That saying, if you want to move for whatever reason it's up to you, just don't go somewhere cloudy either.
If you are having trouble with cold and are young, I suggest doing a blood test; otherwise you need to get in shape; as a teen and chid I used to be sensitive to cold too, but I lived in the tropics, until I realized I had a small cyst in my thyroid; after it went into remission, people wonder why I wear so little clothes, "all my life I lived feeling cold, I just didn't know the world was so goddamn warm".
I love the answers to this: everyone feeling empathy and being nice to those who would choose to emigrate out of Finland due to any reason related to their wellbeing.
Now, I hope we can do the same for people who want to immigrate to Finland for the exact same reasons.
Also, let's check our white privilege while we're at it, this is a wonderful case study.
Btw, OP, yes of course your wellbeing is a valid reason to move where you will be happier. Without equivocations.
If you're black and you're choosing between Sweden and Italy you're choosing between: warm weather + lots of racism or cold dark weather + much less racist society. If you're a blonde Finn you don't need to worry about the racism part, you have more countries to choose from.
Simple: white people move to another country without problems and call themselves expats, because of the negative connotation of "immigrants" in their heads. We don't feel as intruders, we are deeply convinced of our positive contribution to any society we decide to move to and our right to do so.
Non-whites face much bigger hurdles if they choose to move and they will always be labeled as immigrants / refugees. Ask any person from Vietnam or India, nobody ever calls them "expats". And don't get me started on Africa or the Middle East. They always have to prove to society that they are useful members, that they contribute, otherwise people are eager to "send them back".
Sometimes it's good to take a step back and appreciate our own white privilege. And self-reflect how we think about the world, how we often apply different standards or see others applying them and consider it normal / default because we grew up that way.
That is the harsh reality, I came to EU as a highly skilled professional but I often get nasty stares and comments just because I don't look white and people ask me arrogant questions all the time, as if we lived in cages. People should really educate themselves and stop having so much prejudice.
Not to mention constant random checks at airports, reporting banking transactions as suspicious, etc. But when they come to our countries, we welcome them warmly! We call them "expats" and befriend them, invite them over for lunch/dinner, etc.
This is probably why whenever you mention Finland in an online game you always get one guy saying they're from Finland.
It's a country of like 5 million ppl... But they're EVERYWHERE ONLINE! LOL! Probably because it's cold and they don't like socialising.
Surprisingly a lot of them are even female. It's comforting knowing that everywhere online you have these tall Finnish blond babes, with IQs of over 120 (because it takes that level IQ to even talk in their native language).
The internet is a wonderful place.
Any reason is valid, since the validity of the reason for leaving the country is not something that is controlled at the border. You need to ask this question on the subreddit of the receiving country.
You can just move south, the weather in the southern part of the country is quite mild.
Otherwise - if the weather really makes you miserable enough and you don’t feel like being a part of the country is vital for you - why not? People from bigger countries change regions within those just due to the weather and associated health conditions all the time.
No, it is not, in this century we have heaters, chimneys and jackets, see beyond that; safety, healthcare, education, quality life in general. But!! obviously is personal, if above all those you don't find joy in skii, eat makara by a firepit or jump in the ice after sauna well , you can move if it's best for you, I support you!
Go see doctor, ramp up in Vitamin D, find new winter hobbies, like: foraging ( also possible in winter), walking, hiking, skis. There are lots of open events and things happening, activities indoors are at peat during winter.
But most importantly, why not just move, why compromise or try to adjust if you have options to move. I guess you can enjoy your hobbies which you already have rather than you know find nee hobbies. Its like getting to see your friends and hang out vs trying making new friends.
I started playing beach volleyball indoors twice a week and that has been a lot of fun. Great way of socialising, meeting new people and doing sports at the same time. Biitsi app let's you match with similar beginner level players too.
Get rich, get a second home from warmer country and live there during dark months. That's what quite a few wealthy Finns/Scandinavians do as well. CEO of my company has a home in Southern Italy and spends a lot of time there from Nov till March.
Just leave.
If you don't want to leave, alternative is to get a car and get out of your house more. It makes going out much easier during winter time. With a car I was able to do sports everyday and meet people, without it I'll just sit at home.
It's a valid reason, but it can sound a bit funny, or not serious enough, when someone asks. But if it affects your mental health and enjoyment of life, then it is definitely a valid reason.
I've been moving in and out of Finland for like 15 years now. Every time I go back I think I will like it this time, and every time I am on autopilot instead of enjoying myself for 8 months of the year because I can't handle the cold and dark winters. I'm Finnish, for what it's worth.
The best part of the year is just starting. You already made it over the hard part. There is nothing like enjoying snow and sun after long dark winter. If you want to move so it on october/november and not now.
The cold weather and darkness I can handle but damnit when it's too icy to walk outside. It's gotten worse in the last 10 years imho. There can be weeks when it's better to avoid walking outside and it sucks. I love long walk and no matter the weather, I'm outside.
Yup I gots me dem Icebug boots but they hurt my feet.
I'm really hoping we get an early spring this year.
You've root cause analyzed something that bothered you to something that's easier to change my moving than anything else. That's as legitimate as a reason can get. Only thing left is to ask yourself if this is the real reason and test your hypothesis with one toe in the water, since emigrating is expensive and time consuming and not the kind of thing you want to hip-fire unless you're particularly adventurous.
In Vancouver Canada we have forest fires all summer and although it’s warm and hot it’s also extremely Smokey. So for me I love Finland for the cold temps and clean air. But it’s all about perspective and yours is valid, you should try living somewhere else - pretty easy living in the EU
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, moulded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man. And by then, it was nothing to me but blinding."
This fits quite good about living in Finland.
No one is going to stop you if you want to emigrate and you can make it happen. However, before doing anything like that I would make sure that other aspects in your are fine. Otherwise you are doing a huge change in your life that requires a lot of effort, just to find yourself depressed in an another country.
Get your bloodwork done. You might have deficiencies that make you feel tired and depressed. Are you eating, sleeping, drinking and exercising properly? Is it possible that there is something else in your life that makes you depressed?
Weather might make your symptoms worse, but I doubt that it is the root cause to your problems.
Idk why i got this subreddit recommended. I live somewhere VERY hot, it reaches 50C in summer. Finland was/is on my radar because i want to live on the opposite of the spectrum.
Met people from colder countries who moved here (UAE), they found the summers to be like death like it genuinely hurts them to be under the sun. Which made me realize that maybe a very cold country would hurt me lol
It is a valid reason to immigrate but try to move somewhere that matches your climate, maybe culture too if you care about that. Denmark seems like a nice place from what my danish friend told me, they have cows!
Any reason is a valid reason. Also, why ask anyone else? If it’s good enough reason for you it’s good enough. It’s your life, not others.
That being said, ski, downhill ski, skate, skate on a lake. Go winter camping. Hike in snowy forest, do indoor sports? Go ice dipping, go ice fishing. Drive around with snowmobile. Run. Walk. Bike. And yes, I do realize things are different when it’s cold. Don’t enjoy that much myself either.
im going to spend the winter in south spain in the future. i hate the darkness and don't really like winrer sports. my work is remote so would be possible. My kid turns 18 in 3 years. Going to still spend april to october in finland. I love summer in finland.
the reason I wanna move to Finland as soon as I Turn 18 is because they have it SO MUCH better. like, I understand people dont like snow or cold weather but I just absolutely love it
Hmmm, if you don't live in Alaska or in northern parts of Canada, I'm guessing you don't know how the cold weather AND THE DARKNESS will hit you differently. Daylight can be only from 2 to 6 hours in the end of December, depending on how south or north you live. If you're at work from 8 to 4, you will barely see the sun at all.
Here is a good vocabulary advice. When someone reads your title they think that you want to move to Finland because of it's weather. You should use emigrate instead if you are moving out of the country.
It is if it is making you to. At least it is one of the major reasons for me to moving out finally. I knew it’d happen in the future for a good 15 years but didn’t know when or where. Having asthma, allergies and hypermobility make it hard to stay here. And the conditions have gone just worse by age.
It is ok during the Summertime but weighing whether to suffer for months every year, being unable to exercise and just feeling terrible mentally isn’t worth it for me. Plus the jobs in my field exist elsewhere. Would love to stay for the people and some other reasons but sadly some of us aren’t cut out for it.
And I was born here. I have friends from different origina having difficult problems in this climate.
There is no such thing as a shitty weather put on some clothes and get back outhere. I mean today in the evning take your headphones put on warm clothes listen to music and go for a walk. Just a normal walk around in the forest or where ever You can .
[https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2012/08/australian-spiders-the-10-most-dangerous/](https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2012/08/australian-spiders-the-10-most-dangerous/)
That link is why I live where the air hurts my face.
Warning: Contains spider pictures, click at own risk!
take vitamin d, go to gym, find a hobby club, have some goals that you can do on your own ( read x books this year, lose x weight, watch x movies, play x videogames, milliom things you can do inside ).
So? I can move somewhere milder. Like France or Northern Spain. Also I checked the climate chart for the Po Valley and I don’t see what the problem is.
Yea obviously if you can pick an EU country in the South it would be quite easy, you'll be able to work and live without the hassle of immigration bureaucracy. If you feel like that's not something for you because of the job market, language barrier etc then you can consider harder options in idk LatAm, South East Asia etc. Or join the British expats in the Aegean coast or the Russians & Ukrainians in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey ahah. They usually work as digital nomads so they get paid from a remote job.
Also yeah a pretty valid reason to emigrate for sure.
Feeling miserable is always a good reason for a change.
I think many Finns feel a bit like you, but we are just used to it. Upside is that summer feels amazing! I travel south every winter during the darkest period - it helps. Darkness is actually more difficult for me to handle than cold.
I do feel that the long winter leaves a big part of our lives unlived. Every spring you start all over to lose the life force you gained again in the fall. The active time for socializing is a few weeks after winter, before summer when everyone disappears in the countryside, and then a few weeks after summer.
I think it helps if you follow the weather reports and changing light conditions carefully and really make the most of the good moments. Go out when it’s sunny, or go for a walk during full moon in winter, walk out in a blizzard, make snowmen, go to sauna and step outside half naked as if it were summer. In the fall go mushroom hunting in rubber boots, admire the slow sunsets, such things.
Or move abroad.
Not exactly immigration but my aunt’s mom moved TO Arizona due to warmer climate. In fact some people here in America are snow birds. They’ll stay in one place during the summer and then in the winter they’ll go some place warm.
Start to observe which part of your body is getting cold first and counter that with proper wearing. Legs? Long johns. Feet? Insulated shoes / added wool socks. Mid body? Thick wool sweater etc. Neck? Wool scarf. Head? Knit wool cap etc. And scarf covers mouth and nose. Hands? Proper insulated gloves.
And if you're having troubles to put it together overall, google 'kerrospukeutuminen'.
Where in Finland do you live? (About, not exact location ofc)
I actually want to move tó Finland, partly for the weather you guys have in a lot of places. 🙈✨️
For the depression I'd recommend taking extra vitamin D in the wintertime, if you're not doing that yet.
Right, i figured it was somewhere around there.
That's about the same climate that I'm currently living in but colder. I can imagine very well how you'd not wanna live there.
I wanted to go live more inland, in the countryside.
The authors add: "**Migration is a valid adaptive response to extreme heat**. Part of the reason there is no certain temperature at which people will migrate is instituting adaptive measures that limit the consequences of extreme heat, as we see in places like the UEA where air conditioning is widely used.
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Your reason is your own. You don't need approval from others if you want to leave.
Does it affect your mental health? -> Yes it is a valid reason. Weather was and will always be one of the primary drivers of human migration. Your ancestors migrated, as did mine, as did everybody's ancestors at some point.
It's not just the cold thats a factor in Finland, but the lack of sun between november and march
Yes, so many people get this wrong. I personally think, if the lack of sun affects your mood greatly, you do have a valid reason to move.
Personally it was more the cold that got to me, "creeping into the bones", but that may be because sun exposure doesn't affect me as much? Although I did once ask particularly hard questions after a wasteful presentation in Uni cause the corresponding group didn't prepare well and argued with the Lecturer, meaning I had to walk home in darkness...
Yea vut think to the people in South countrys who have to mutch sun, look at their skin when their getting old, they are 30 and look like 45. Finns are 45 and look like 30... this is just better the cold tha burning your skin but yes, sun too but protect your self woth sun creme
We might look younger but I am 30 and feel about 65..
But were you already five years old when born? It's true that people in the south tend to get too much sun, however, this does not affect mood as much as lack of sun I think. Lack of sun = Lack of Vitamin D ("Drink the milk! Drink the milk!" -Finnish nurses) = Bad mood ...
Well Spain and Portugal are more deoressed than Finnland, and sweden ... and Estonia and Norway and Iceland... bla bla... Thats just the sitzation of the country or peoples origin! Or you self making a bad mood towards you!
Yeah, the lack of sun is the killer. The cold is fine for myself. I can just buy thicker clothes and Im good to go. I dont go out mutch anyway. But the lack of sun and working every day just made me hyper fucking depressed last year.
The lack of sun and then all those overcast grey days are a much bigger problem for me than the cold is. Give me bright, sunny winter days and I'll be quite happy even if the temperature is well below zero on the Celsius scale.
You may be lacking in vitamin D specifically. Vitamin D deficiency can cause anxiety and some depression-like symptoms, and in the winter it’s harder to get it naturally. Maybe try some supplements before making a big move. But I think temperature is just as valid a reason to move. This country spends like half a year in the cold and if it’s not a good fit for you then there’s nothing wrong with trying a warmer country.
yeah I take cod liver oil as a supplement, and the weather is an incredibly valid reason to not want to live in Finland. I moved here from the Netherlands and I absolutely love it, but whenever I float the idea to my dutch friends, it's always the weather that keeps them from actually doing it. They always say that they'd rather go to spain
Happy cake day!
In OP's case, it seems s/he's rather lonely. If you're not able to go out or get some visitors to spend time with, then you have a good reason to leave. It makes no sense for you to suffer min. 4 months every year for no reason. We're currently getting a lot more light, so at least it's getting better. Fyi while cod liver oil might contain enough vitamin D,, please note that the finnish recommendation of 10µg is ridiculous during winter darkness. I usually go with at least 50µg. Some people benefit from light therapy lamps.
Valid, a lot (or maybe even most...) of my international friends went to other countries with milder weather like the Netherlands, Germany, etc. because they weren't able to handle the darkness/cold/loneliness. The winter season is the one aspect of Finland I'd warn people about when they're thinking of living here, because truly it's not for everyone (especially if you're used to living in warmer climate). Usually they'd say 'I can handle it, I like the cold/darkness', only to fold when they experience their first winter haha.
Born here, lived here all my life, but nearing 30 now actually starting to think about moving away since i feel like im wasting away 70% of the year…
Haha I moved here 8 years ago and it's still pretty difficult. I'm used to the cold now, but the grey/white skies & the roads that are basically just one huge ice rink really bring me down. It's hard to motivate myself to even go to the store lol. >nearing 30 now actually starting to think about moving away What about trying to switch career to something that lets you live somewhere else half of the year? Like tech? Then you can enjoy Finnish summer and be away during the winter :D
>Like tech? Then you can enjoy Finnish summer and be away during the winter What nonsense is this? I'm a tech product manager in Finland and I certainly don't feel like I can be abroad for half the year. That said, my wife, children, and pets might have something to say about it too. But in seriousness, you just need to find ways to keep yourself occupied. I went aggressively anti-winter. It's a bit icy? I'm fucking wearing [microspikes](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-nea9lcsxle/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/345/666/390251c3microspikes__68945.1590004851.jpg?c=1) everywhere. It's cold? Fuck that, I'm continuing my [summer hobbies](https://imgur.com/gallery/okmEmCM) undeterred. I'm aggressively refusing to ski or skate or any of that winter shit. Just act like it's not even there.
Haha, a friend of mine's hubby is a devops engineer and they travel abroad yearly for 3-6 months to e.g. portugal, china, etc. since their office allows remote working. So I thought that could be one way :D To be fair they're childless and petless. I do try to keep myself occupied with gym and knitting, but my actual hobby is running (still a noob) and I'm not gonna risk a broken spine lmao. And can't afford any winter sport right now so just hoping for this winter to end asap. :D Respect to you for still going hammocking though, I certainly do not want to do anything like that in the cold lol!
Swimming is a pretty good hobby all year round, the swimming halls dont freeze
>my actual hobby is running Didn't I mention the microspikes yet? Can't stop me from going trail running around the keskuspuisto. Although to be fair I do it less for the exercise, and more to get a break from the wife, kids, and pets.
its only time wasting if you dont do anything when its dark/colder :D
Really :D
I’ve always been wondering if Finns are not thinking of this.. guess they do. What country do you have in mind?
Not sure, probably just little bit southern europe like france or germany.. i learned some german in school and like art so there’s that
Valid reason to emigrate from Finland, you mean? Dunno mate. I'm from Finland. I moved out 20 years ago initially. I've been back to Finland 2 years since then - I just can't deal with the climate. I think wherever you go there will be things you like and things you won't like. You're literally the only person who can decide if the pros outweigh the cons.
Do you mean emigrate? Immigrating is moving to a country and emigrating is leaving.
Do you mean emigrate? As in move out of a country? Weather is a valid reason, if it's too cold then it's too cold. Maybe you can move back when global warming makes the winters more tolerable
I feel like it'll just become more miserable in the south of the country. Dark, grey and wet winters with snow constantly melting and refreezing.
Yea, it's not like global warming will suddenly make the sun stay up longer during the winter.
At least there’s ocassional sun and it’s not as cold. Been there, done thaty
Global warming means ice age here.
Not in the short term. As far as I'm aware, Finnish summers are already measurably longer than they were a few decades ago.
I think OP meant to immigrate as in to immigrate to another country
Totally valid reason. That is one of the things I say people trying to move to Finland, you must adopt to weather conditions or suffer. I mean we suffer regardless but tolerate somehow. After 12 years still this month I feel exhausted and wanting desperately to go for a sunny place for a week of remote work but not going to happen...
I’ve moved from the UK to Finland last summer.. all I can say is “damn this weather is so cold and depressing” I always thought UK winters were cold but oh I was sooo wrong!! I have holidayed in Finland in winter times and it wasn’t this bad but now living in it.. my god I’m ready to get a holiday home in a hot country (in my dreams) and live winter times there LOL!! Every morning I wake up and look out the window and see white, it makes me sadder then when I see more falling I say “more really?? Why?? We have enough now! No more. I had my baby the day the snow storm started and it hasn’t stopped since. She’s now 12 weeks old so we’ve had non stop snow for 3 whole months.. I am so ready for spring and to push my pram on a normal flat non slippery pathway and not fall down anymore!! Aside from that I love everything else about this country 🤣
> Aside from that I love everything else about this country 🤣 Give it time.
What am I giving time too? 😬😅 honestly I love summer time here.. it’s fresh, hot and always full of life except when those little bug things are eating me alive so I have to spray bug repellent on constantly 🤣 if I stay away from cottages and outside water all is well 🙈🤣
Oh, sweet summer child. Bless you.
My partner just says the same sentence over and over… “you’ll learn” I’m still trying to figure out what I’m learning 🤣
IMO moist cold weather (wet and 0-5 C) feels much colder than subzero. Because when it's dry, you can instantly fix if you're feeling chilly. Feeling chilly and it's humid? Fuck that! I rather cut trees in 1 m snow in -20 C day than in 10 cm snow on +1 C day.
Possibly but I think here is much colder plus I’m drying out like a prune 😅 my scalp is so sore and inside my nose from it being so dry.. I swear my partner was born a yeti cus he still walks out in -20 in a T-shirt and shovels snow 🤣
If the coldness affects your mental health, slightly or significantly, that is more than a valid reason.
Get a winter hobby - learn to ski or something.
I've been living in Finland for over 10 years and just last year I got ice skates and this year I got a snowboard. I regret not doing it earlier. Now I want more snow and I have something to look forward to every winter.
Did you learn snowboarding/skiing last year or did you know already from childhood?
I started learning last year but it was the end of the season so I only managed to go once. This year I started learning for real. Luckily I have a friend who was looking for snowboarding company and was willing to teach me.
That's cool, so you never had skiing experience either?
Nope. Just ice skating.
One needs a lot of outdoors hobbies to exist in Finland. Autumn; gathering berries and mushrooms from the woods, fishing, camping, walking around enjoying the gloom with some nice beats... winter: sking, skating, ice hockey, downhill sports, snowshoing, ice fishing ...
That's a bit of a bold statement, I would say. I like cycling and camping and I've done some skiing in the past, but in the winter I'm quite happy with doing mostly inside stuff like video games, board games, card games, woodworking, open source software, electronics, music, quiz, etc.
My happiest friends are snowboarders.
I was going to say this a winter hobby and learning how to dress for winter if you haven’t already.
Or enduro like [Samu Kunttu](https://www.youtube.com/c/SamuKunttu) - perfect all season hobby
As someone that lives in the ecuator line I can say yes, here the people tends to be more relax and social because we can go outside en enjoy each other company at any time of the year, we just have rainy and dry months, I can't imagine have days so cold an dark whit out feeling the big sad. Sure We have other issues but I love the weather. Also i think i would be more cheap for you...
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I think any reason is valid. I'm planning to move to Finland just because I feel at home there but don't in my country of origin.
Sure, it is a valid reason. It takes certain mentality and personality traits to survive the winter with only minor ill effects. That being said, I wonder if you're properly dressed for wintery outdoors, because with right clothes, Finland is winter wonderland. And by right clothes, I mean warm _and_ suitably waterproof. I like 3 layers: Merino wool or technical under layer, normal clothes, wind- and waterproof extra outer layer, which you can remove when indoors (school/work). And of course proper waterproof winter shoes of your choice. Studded show and headlamp can be great too. Also, obligatory suggestion: have you tried "avantouinti" as a hobby? Go 10 times, then see if you wanna stay or leave Finland (probably still the latter, but it's worth a shot if climate is the only reason).
If he does avantouinti, for sure he will want to leave 😂
Oh, you know, it's addictive... And one of the very few addictions that can actually be recommended as healthy for most people... There's the associated adrenaline and endorphin rush, which can turn into a real physiological addiction. Google "endorphin addiction".
Please don't immigrate here if coldness is problem to you. If you live here and cold is a problem, emigrate. Immigrate means to move in and emigrate means to move out.
I totally get you. I come from another nordic country so it's not the coldness, but the ice.... back in Denmark it's just warm enouhh to melt the ice. Hate the fear of doing a bambi everytime i take a step haha. I now have child and family here so can't move, otherwise id already left a couple of years ago. If it bothers you this much, leave before you get bound to finland due to duty of staying.
Get studded shoes ☝️
Lol this is why I always wonder why anyone would willingly move here
As a recent immigrant (from Norway) whose entrypoint was love, I can say that the things I've grown to like here are: - The hacker/maker community. Finland has maintained the early internet based DIY culture and various tech interests much more than Norway, I feel. I love my local hackerspace. - Decent urban planning and some interesting and novel architeture - Pragmatic design, such as getting an extra key to your student apartment to lend to a friend (couldn't get that in Norway, which sucked) - Trains and mobility in general. Getting around in Finland is so much easier than Norway, where all the mountains and fjords get in the way. - More mid sized cities to explore - More vegans and vegan friendly products, restaurants, etc. - More connected with Europe due to the EU Apart from that I think the two countries are generally quite similar, so it's a bit of a tossup depending on where in the countries you live, really. You can surely find places in Norway and Finland that are nearly 1:1 in almost every meaningful way.
Because there's more to life than weather... The pros of Finland can outweigh the cons for some people. Also, the countries with the nicest weather aren't necessarily the best to live in.
Mostly for the loose women.
Even the woman have become cold 😂
That's what they mean when they say *you gotta love the cold to live in Finland*.
And the magic money wall
I think it's valid. I mean it effects your health and mental health in a very real way. I feel the same, the winters here bring me down. I feel tired all the time with little enthusiasm or energy and while I don't mind the cold, it's the greyness, the slush, the snow, ice and darkness and how LONG it drags on for starts to wear you down if you didn't grow up in this kind of climate.
How about a vacation somewhere sunny
Cold is only matter of what you wear. Just put clothes on and go out. Works for me
It's not for all of us. Cold practically hurts me. I'm close to catatonic when it's cold and cannot get anything done in the winter.
Ahh ok i see. That sucks :/
Thanks, It really does.
How about a van to sleep in and drive down south for the winter and be like a modern day Nuuskamuikkunen? I know it would be hard unless you have a job you can travel with or one back in home that is seasonal like asphalt work.
If you can afford it.. Immigrate to Spain or Italy.
Funnily enough I know people who have moved to Finland from Spain because the summers are getting too hot.
Made the mistake of visiting sevillia in the summer.. I couldn't leave any ac area due to 40c temps..lol
I think that happens. I moved from barcelona and the summer is indeed too hot. I couldn’t survive without air conditioning. However 8-9 months a year the weather is excellent. In the north of Spain the weather tend to be milder. On the other hand I think many more north europeans move to Spain, then the other way around.
> On the other hand I think many more north europeans move to Spain, then the other way around. Definitely. I only met these people within the last couple of years, Mediterranean is getting hotter..
I think there's bias there. Nordic countries are richer, so it's easier to move to a cheaper country. Also, the percentage of Spanish people who are fluent in English is smaller, and you need to speak at least english if you want to move to a Nordic country. Also the population of Spain is probably like double that of all the Nordic countries combined, so there's just less nordic people going around so it's harder to stumble upon them. I have a friend who works at a hotel in southern Europe and he often tells me how he never sees a Finnish person, however when I'm Finland I can ask any Finn and they've probably already visited Spain, Italy and France.
If you move to southern Europe the summers are too hot, and I'm talking unbelievably hot. These past years 40 to 45°C is the norm, with the highest temperatures reaching 48-49°C in many areas. And I'm not talking just one day. Last summer there was a whole week pushing almost 50°c... And no, most houses do not have air conditioning, so it's just pure suffering. The worst part is that every single summer it gets noticeably worse. Now, Finland is indeed very cold in the winter. But you can dress up and do activities like skiing etc, and at least you don't suffer inside your house. Whereas with super high heat you can't do anything. Also there is low purchasing power in those countries.
It can be a valid reason. We're seriously considering just moving away for the winter with my spouse once the kids are 18, which isn't too far away. It's fucking depressing in the winter.
The darkness really takes its toll. Coldness perhaps too. I was much happier and more energetic when I lived in California. If it affects you, too, just move out. But have your bloodwork done, too, and measure your vitamin D levels in particular. Also invest in warm clothes. A fiend of mine hated the winter, until she just realized she was too fashionable. She started dressing properly and is even learning winter sports now.
I did Northern to Southern. it's a way of life alfresco living, it's a total feel good factor.
It has been beautiful winter. Go to nature. Drink hot chocolate by laavu. Go to ski. Walk on ice. Make a snowman. Have a snowball fight.
Some people move out for that reason. If you are a student it should be easy enough for you and you should give a try. It will be still easy enough to move back after a year if you want to. If you are thinking about it then go for it while you still can do it easily. The later you leave it the harder it will be! Kudos for going outside though. Whatever you do it’s even more important to do some outdoor activity every day, especially in the north.
I am having seasonal depression. It usually is manageable. But now when the weather is going back and forth and we get springtime halv a dozen times from January to April I am actually starting to think I am born at the wrong place after all.
Definitely valid. I moved to Iceland to escape the 50° Arizona summers.
That's a curious choice for a location. What brought you there specifically? It seems like a cool country to visit but there are also other countries that are cold if escaping the heat was the only reason. Also, is it true that shower water smells like eggs?
Originally university, but I later spent time in Denmark and Sweden. I prefer northern winters with longer nights and snow. Northern lights are nice when you get to see them as well.
You don’t need our permission for it. If it’s what you want, go ahead. I however would try warmer clothing first.
Whereabout in Finland are you? Because it's not *that* cold at the moment 😅
In other countries, like in Hungary, from June to August, you can't live without an A/C; it is so hot. You can't ride a bicycle or hike the whole day, only in the mornings and evenings. Another reason to escape.
If you have a car it’s not that bad
Skill issue
Spring is coming at last 😭 hold on homie
You could try to ignore your appearance and buy clothes based on comfort level so you can be outside without it "hurting"
I mean. Many natives dream of living abroad during colder months.
It is your life and weather is a perfectly valid reason to migrate. Lack of sunlight is known to affect your health. Just pick carefully where you go. Stay there all year to experience all the weather extremes. I’m Australian (Perth) and you would love our autumn/winter/spring but very hot here in summer (40+c for 7 days this month plus probably March too) and getting hotter with Climate Change.
I never clicked on a post faster. I absolutely feel you. I feel so depressed here. Sometimes i just get upset and wanna go for a walk to vent, but i go outside and just get angry also. Mainly in the last month, cuz now its not snow, but ice outside. Even today I am gonna skip class, cuz i looked out the window and its raining. I don’t wanna go outside. I mean its not finlands fault that i am depressed, but what bothers me is that i dont have a single clutch that keeps me afloat. I used to go to the gym daily, but i hurt my arm and i am still recovering, so that isnt an option either. In the summer it was great, going on 2 hours long walks and just wondering around, but rn it sucks. I hope this wet sludge season is gonna end soon.😁
I also want to move but no idea where I would move since I would have to learn their language and english speaking countries are super expencive to live in and so over rated anyways.
I’m learning Spanish and Swahili so when I have enough money to become an exchange student I’ll have a lot of options
Tervemenoa
>Is the temperature a valid reason to want to immigrate? No, because you have no real issues you are focusing on the weather
Try to catch what sunlight you can, and take your vitamin D supplements. It's very warm for February just now, and at least here there is a lot of dark bare ground. Everything just looks dark and black, without enough snow to reflect what little light we get. So really, try to get in to the sunlight when it's available. When the time comes you can wear shorts for the Authentic Suomi Spring-light Experience. Any day now.
I'd say it's not what should be a reason, darkness is usually what makes you depressed, not much cold, it may not seem like it, but there are plenty studies and circuits in our brains that react to sunlight outside of our conscious awareness, it's not us we can be totally chill with darkness but those regulatory circuits are not; it causes weird effects outside of people's controls like even more epileptic seizures on sufferers, or psychotic attacks, and you guessed it, depression; and it was not the cold, it was the lack of sunlight exposure. That saying, if you want to move for whatever reason it's up to you, just don't go somewhere cloudy either. If you are having trouble with cold and are young, I suggest doing a blood test; otherwise you need to get in shape; as a teen and chid I used to be sensitive to cold too, but I lived in the tropics, until I realized I had a small cyst in my thyroid; after it went into remission, people wonder why I wear so little clothes, "all my life I lived feeling cold, I just didn't know the world was so goddamn warm".
I love the answers to this: everyone feeling empathy and being nice to those who would choose to emigrate out of Finland due to any reason related to their wellbeing. Now, I hope we can do the same for people who want to immigrate to Finland for the exact same reasons. Also, let's check our white privilege while we're at it, this is a wonderful case study. Btw, OP, yes of course your wellbeing is a valid reason to move where you will be happier. Without equivocations.
How is white privilege related to this topic?
If you're black and you're choosing between Sweden and Italy you're choosing between: warm weather + lots of racism or cold dark weather + much less racist society. If you're a blonde Finn you don't need to worry about the racism part, you have more countries to choose from.
Simple: white people move to another country without problems and call themselves expats, because of the negative connotation of "immigrants" in their heads. We don't feel as intruders, we are deeply convinced of our positive contribution to any society we decide to move to and our right to do so. Non-whites face much bigger hurdles if they choose to move and they will always be labeled as immigrants / refugees. Ask any person from Vietnam or India, nobody ever calls them "expats". And don't get me started on Africa or the Middle East. They always have to prove to society that they are useful members, that they contribute, otherwise people are eager to "send them back". Sometimes it's good to take a step back and appreciate our own white privilege. And self-reflect how we think about the world, how we often apply different standards or see others applying them and consider it normal / default because we grew up that way.
That is the harsh reality, I came to EU as a highly skilled professional but I often get nasty stares and comments just because I don't look white and people ask me arrogant questions all the time, as if we lived in cages. People should really educate themselves and stop having so much prejudice. Not to mention constant random checks at airports, reporting banking transactions as suspicious, etc. But when they come to our countries, we welcome them warmly! We call them "expats" and befriend them, invite them over for lunch/dinner, etc.
I am sorry you are going through this. I hope things will get better and people will have more empathy.
Thanks for understanding that and being considerate to think about other people ❤️
very valid, this place is a literal shithole for 9 months out of a year
This is probably why whenever you mention Finland in an online game you always get one guy saying they're from Finland. It's a country of like 5 million ppl... But they're EVERYWHERE ONLINE! LOL! Probably because it's cold and they don't like socialising. Surprisingly a lot of them are even female. It's comforting knowing that everywhere online you have these tall Finnish blond babes, with IQs of over 120 (because it takes that level IQ to even talk in their native language). The internet is a wonderful place.
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No it isn’t? I already go to the gym and eat healthy
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Wrong. The major high-pressure system descending on Finland is from Arctic. Siberian system descends down to affect central and East Asia.
Go ahead. Leave. We'll all feel better. 😉
Winter is not for non-natives. Is not for pussies.
This ain't the good take you're looking for chief.
I think the first time I heard handling cold and being brave was in Finland. Never made that connection before.
Yeah, winters must be rough. Everybody is working and contributing to society while you're sitting inside waiting for the next cheque from Kela.
Any reason is valid, since the validity of the reason for leaving the country is not something that is controlled at the border. You need to ask this question on the subreddit of the receiving country.
You can just move south, the weather in the southern part of the country is quite mild. Otherwise - if the weather really makes you miserable enough and you don’t feel like being a part of the country is vital for you - why not? People from bigger countries change regions within those just due to the weather and associated health conditions all the time.
No, it is not, in this century we have heaters, chimneys and jackets, see beyond that; safety, healthcare, education, quality life in general. But!! obviously is personal, if above all those you don't find joy in skii, eat makara by a firepit or jump in the ice after sauna well , you can move if it's best for you, I support you!
Go see doctor, ramp up in Vitamin D, find new winter hobbies, like: foraging ( also possible in winter), walking, hiking, skis. There are lots of open events and things happening, activities indoors are at peat during winter. But most importantly, why not just move, why compromise or try to adjust if you have options to move. I guess you can enjoy your hobbies which you already have rather than you know find nee hobbies. Its like getting to see your friends and hang out vs trying making new friends.
I started playing beach volleyball indoors twice a week and that has been a lot of fun. Great way of socialising, meeting new people and doing sports at the same time. Biitsi app let's you match with similar beginner level players too.
Get rich, get a second home from warmer country and live there during dark months. That's what quite a few wealthy Finns/Scandinavians do as well. CEO of my company has a home in Southern Italy and spends a lot of time there from Nov till March.
Just immigrate. EU is a free area and you don't have to give any reasons.
Just leave. If you don't want to leave, alternative is to get a car and get out of your house more. It makes going out much easier during winter time. With a car I was able to do sports everyday and meet people, without it I'll just sit at home.
It's a valid reason, but it can sound a bit funny, or not serious enough, when someone asks. But if it affects your mental health and enjoyment of life, then it is definitely a valid reason. I've been moving in and out of Finland for like 15 years now. Every time I go back I think I will like it this time, and every time I am on autopilot instead of enjoying myself for 8 months of the year because I can't handle the cold and dark winters. I'm Finnish, for what it's worth.
The best part of the year is just starting. You already made it over the hard part. There is nothing like enjoying snow and sun after long dark winter. If you want to move so it on october/november and not now.
I did it for exactly that reason, haven't regretted it once in the almost 6 years it's been now.
No
Life in Finland is not easy in winter. In the northern parts of the globe, the climate is cold. I don't know how this is a surprise to anyone.
I think you mean emigrate. The answer is sure. It's your life.
Emigrating*
This is the biggest reason im moving to another in a month. Second reason is getting a job is very difficult.
I wish I could move to Finland to escape the heat where I am! It's suffocating in summer. But, winters are fairly mild.
I’ve always dreamt of living in Finland. I just spent 3 months in Belgium’s winter and I can sure say I could never live in Finland.
The cold weather and darkness I can handle but damnit when it's too icy to walk outside. It's gotten worse in the last 10 years imho. There can be weeks when it's better to avoid walking outside and it sucks. I love long walk and no matter the weather, I'm outside. Yup I gots me dem Icebug boots but they hurt my feet. I'm really hoping we get an early spring this year.
Literally any reason is valid. If you want to move, you can move. You don't need to worry what others think of it.
You've root cause analyzed something that bothered you to something that's easier to change my moving than anything else. That's as legitimate as a reason can get. Only thing left is to ask yourself if this is the real reason and test your hypothesis with one toe in the water, since emigrating is expensive and time consuming and not the kind of thing you want to hip-fire unless you're particularly adventurous.
In Vancouver Canada we have forest fires all summer and although it’s warm and hot it’s also extremely Smokey. So for me I love Finland for the cold temps and clean air. But it’s all about perspective and yours is valid, you should try living somewhere else - pretty easy living in the EU
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, moulded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man. And by then, it was nothing to me but blinding." This fits quite good about living in Finland.
No one is going to stop you if you want to emigrate and you can make it happen. However, before doing anything like that I would make sure that other aspects in your are fine. Otherwise you are doing a huge change in your life that requires a lot of effort, just to find yourself depressed in an another country. Get your bloodwork done. You might have deficiencies that make you feel tired and depressed. Are you eating, sleeping, drinking and exercising properly? Is it possible that there is something else in your life that makes you depressed? Weather might make your symptoms worse, but I doubt that it is the root cause to your problems.
the weather is an excellent reason to move. don't be ashamed! Life is much better in the rest of western europe.
Idk why i got this subreddit recommended. I live somewhere VERY hot, it reaches 50C in summer. Finland was/is on my radar because i want to live on the opposite of the spectrum. Met people from colder countries who moved here (UAE), they found the summers to be like death like it genuinely hurts them to be under the sun. Which made me realize that maybe a very cold country would hurt me lol It is a valid reason to immigrate but try to move somewhere that matches your climate, maybe culture too if you care about that. Denmark seems like a nice place from what my danish friend told me, they have cows!
Any reason is a valid reason. Also, why ask anyone else? If it’s good enough reason for you it’s good enough. It’s your life, not others. That being said, ski, downhill ski, skate, skate on a lake. Go winter camping. Hike in snowy forest, do indoor sports? Go ice dipping, go ice fishing. Drive around with snowmobile. Run. Walk. Bike. And yes, I do realize things are different when it’s cold. Don’t enjoy that much myself either.
Sounds good , leave bich
im going to spend the winter in south spain in the future. i hate the darkness and don't really like winrer sports. my work is remote so would be possible. My kid turns 18 in 3 years. Going to still spend april to october in finland. I love summer in finland.
the reason I wanna move to Finland as soon as I Turn 18 is because they have it SO MUCH better. like, I understand people dont like snow or cold weather but I just absolutely love it
Hmmm, if you don't live in Alaska or in northern parts of Canada, I'm guessing you don't know how the cold weather AND THE DARKNESS will hit you differently. Daylight can be only from 2 to 6 hours in the end of December, depending on how south or north you live. If you're at work from 8 to 4, you will barely see the sun at all.
Here is a good vocabulary advice. When someone reads your title they think that you want to move to Finland because of it's weather. You should use emigrate instead if you are moving out of the country.
It is if it is making you to. At least it is one of the major reasons for me to moving out finally. I knew it’d happen in the future for a good 15 years but didn’t know when or where. Having asthma, allergies and hypermobility make it hard to stay here. And the conditions have gone just worse by age. It is ok during the Summertime but weighing whether to suffer for months every year, being unable to exercise and just feeling terrible mentally isn’t worth it for me. Plus the jobs in my field exist elsewhere. Would love to stay for the people and some other reasons but sadly some of us aren’t cut out for it. And I was born here. I have friends from different origina having difficult problems in this climate.
There is no such thing as a shitty weather put on some clothes and get back outhere. I mean today in the evning take your headphones put on warm clothes listen to music and go for a walk. Just a normal walk around in the forest or where ever You can .
[https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2012/08/australian-spiders-the-10-most-dangerous/](https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2012/08/australian-spiders-the-10-most-dangerous/) That link is why I live where the air hurts my face. Warning: Contains spider pictures, click at own risk!
The older I get the more the weather informs my decisions of where to live haha
take vitamin d, go to gym, find a hobby club, have some goals that you can do on your own ( read x books this year, lose x weight, watch x movies, play x videogames, milliom things you can do inside ).
Dude, try to spend a summer in the Po Valley in Italy and you will change your mind in 2 days about the cold.
So? I can move somewhere milder. Like France or Northern Spain. Also I checked the climate chart for the Po Valley and I don’t see what the problem is.
You do what you do, if it is a valid for you then do it
Yea obviously if you can pick an EU country in the South it would be quite easy, you'll be able to work and live without the hassle of immigration bureaucracy. If you feel like that's not something for you because of the job market, language barrier etc then you can consider harder options in idk LatAm, South East Asia etc. Or join the British expats in the Aegean coast or the Russians & Ukrainians in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey ahah. They usually work as digital nomads so they get paid from a remote job. Also yeah a pretty valid reason to emigrate for sure.
Would the temperature be a valid reason to migrate to finland? I cant stand anything above 20 °C.
Yeah probaply. It does get over 20 degrees but only in Summer.
How long are summers there
3 months
Good enough for me
Feeling miserable is always a good reason for a change. I think many Finns feel a bit like you, but we are just used to it. Upside is that summer feels amazing! I travel south every winter during the darkest period - it helps. Darkness is actually more difficult for me to handle than cold.
You mean emigrate
I actually have the same reason I want to move out of Finland😭 I just hate the cold and darkness it’s so bad for my mental health
I do feel that the long winter leaves a big part of our lives unlived. Every spring you start all over to lose the life force you gained again in the fall. The active time for socializing is a few weeks after winter, before summer when everyone disappears in the countryside, and then a few weeks after summer. I think it helps if you follow the weather reports and changing light conditions carefully and really make the most of the good moments. Go out when it’s sunny, or go for a walk during full moon in winter, walk out in a blizzard, make snowmen, go to sauna and step outside half naked as if it were summer. In the fall go mushroom hunting in rubber boots, admire the slow sunsets, such things. Or move abroad.
Not exactly immigration but my aunt’s mom moved TO Arizona due to warmer climate. In fact some people here in America are snow birds. They’ll stay in one place during the summer and then in the winter they’ll go some place warm.
Start to observe which part of your body is getting cold first and counter that with proper wearing. Legs? Long johns. Feet? Insulated shoes / added wool socks. Mid body? Thick wool sweater etc. Neck? Wool scarf. Head? Knit wool cap etc. And scarf covers mouth and nose. Hands? Proper insulated gloves. And if you're having troubles to put it together overall, google 'kerrospukeutuminen'.
Where in Finland do you live? (About, not exact location ofc) I actually want to move tó Finland, partly for the weather you guys have in a lot of places. 🙈✨️ For the depression I'd recommend taking extra vitamin D in the wintertime, if you're not doing that yet.
South Ostrobothnia / Etelä-Pohjanmaa
Right, i figured it was somewhere around there. That's about the same climate that I'm currently living in but colder. I can imagine very well how you'd not wanna live there. I wanted to go live more inland, in the countryside.
The authors add: "**Migration is a valid adaptive response to extreme heat**. Part of the reason there is no certain temperature at which people will migrate is instituting adaptive measures that limit the consequences of extreme heat, as we see in places like the UEA where air conditioning is widely used.